Attaching means for casings



Nov. 13, 1928.

H. A. DOUGLAS ATTACHING MEANS FOR CASINGS Filed Aug. 2, 1926' 2 Shets-She'et 1 Nov. 13, 1928.

, 1,691,844 H. A. DOUGLAS- ATTACHING MEANS FOR CASINGS' Filed Aug. 2, 192s 2 Sheats-Sheet 2 latented Nov. 13, 192 8 j HARRY A. nonstasgor'nnonson, MICHIGAN.

ATTAGHING MEANS"; non cAsInGs;

' Application filed August 2, .1926. "Serial No. 126,730.

My invention" relates tocasings which.en-

" close niechanismthat is operable-byv handles upon the exteriors of the casings and resides in the provislon of improved means-for assembling the casings with panel boards that are to carry the same.

' My invention is of particular utility in connection with lighting or ignition switching mechanism employed in automotivevehicles and located upon. the dash boards thereof; 1 I r I In accordance with. my invention, the casing and themounting. panel. are provided with interengaging parts in the form ofpins and portions having openings which receive the pins, at least one of-the pins being movable with respect to the element ca-rrylng it and spring pressed into holding engagement, with the corresponding"holding for-- mation of the other element. In. the pre ferred embodiment of-the invention the pins are carried upon the casing and the openings are formed in portions upon the panel mounting. At least one opening and pref? era bly each opening isofpbayonet formation and the pin which enters it is springpressed' into engagement with the pin seat of this 1 opening. The pins are esirably angular.

end portions Y I steel rod which partially surrounds the pref era-lily cylindrical casing and WhlCll' 18 an-.

/ chored at its intermediate portion to the casing ina manner to constrain it to lie inaplane which is perpendicular: to the axis of the casing, when the casing 1s not assembled I with the panel mounting. The bayonet thrust into engagement. with-a portion of channels are preferably'provided in a collar.

that constitutes an integral portion-of the panel and which collar encircles andagainst theresilience of the rod whereby the rod operates upon the'pins carried therea by to press upon the seats of the. bayonet channels, the casingbeing consequently the panel. If the casing isinserted from the, front side of the panel,"-it is desirably formed with a surrounding. head that has thrusting engagement with the-rim'of the opening in the: panelythrough which. the

of an arcuate shaped spring:

ri er- 3-isin the form-.of'adisc'which is sure the" casing the pin receiving seat-s ofthe bayonet-chancasing is' passed. vThe casing may be insert.- ed from therear side of the panel if'some of the parts are reversed, as will laterappear; l will expla n my inventionmore fully-"by reference to: the accompanying, drawings in which Fig. 1 is a rear viewyof one form of the invention 5 with parts broken away Fig. is a side elevation of the mechanism; shown in 1 with the mounting panel in section; Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line .33 of. Fig il; Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line %& of Fig.1; Fig. .5 is a detailed sectional viewo'nline 5 5 ot'Fig. V1 Fig. 6 is av front view of another form ,Of the inventionwith parts broken away and other .parts shown inisection; Fig. 7 is a side view of'the struc: ture: shown in "Fig. ,6 with the --mo'unting panel shownlin section; Fig. 8 is aview taken generally .on line -8 '8 of'Fig-. 6.; Fig. 9: is a sectional view; on line 91-9 of- Fig, 6 and .10 is a detailed sectional view. j Q'The tworembodiments of he. invention have-manyfeatures in common and similar parts. will be given similar charactersfo'f reference. The switch casing in; each :form of 'thezrinvention is in'the formzofa-cup having: a cylindrical side Wall 1. and an end wall 2. A contact carrier'3, formed'ofinsu: lation, carries .a number of metallic sleeves. 4 that receive binding screws 5 whichpertain to the. various lighting or othercircuits whichar'eto be controlled. I The contactcarrounded by the rear endof' the cup -Wall 1,

and is separably' engaged with thewcup by being provided with bayonet pins, 6: which are receivable withincorresponding bayonet channels 7 formed inhthe cylindrical j side wall .1 :of the cup. The disc 3 thus-constitutes therear end wallof' the casing; and; a closure therefor. Acont'act actuating ring 8,: made of insulation, is disposed within the. casing and has a number of cup. shaped recesses 9 which receive the front ends of the. metallic spring 'barrels lQ These spring.-

barrels housesprings 11 which press for-- wardly upontheiplungers 12. These plung- I ers,.;have reduced endswhich engage the bottom of the recesses 9 to force the iIlStF. lating" ringw8 against the front end wall 2 of the casing saidsprings also pressingrears 'wardly.-npon the spring barrels.Whose rear ends are in the form of contacts which are engageable with thefront ends of the metallic sleeves 4. V i The spring barrels are electrically and mechanically assembled by means of a metallic ring 13 which is coaxial with the casing and with the ring 8 within the casing. A handle 14 has a hub portion 15 against whose inner end the mid portion of the yoke 16 is clamped by a screw 17 which v passes through a spring washer 18 into the hub 15, this spring washer being between the head of the screw and the portion of the yoke which is clamped-by the screw uponthe handle hub. The ends of the yoke are re-- ceived in slots formed upon the inner side of the ring 8 so that whenthe yokeis turned. by the'handle, the'ring 8 is turned to effectthe'desired circuit adjustment.- The hub 15 is journaled within a metallic sleeve 19 which is secured to the innerend wall 20 of a secondcasing, this inner end wall being riveted to the front end Wall 2 of the first: casing.

A- light transmitting closure2l is disposed within the second casing, being. pressed against the front 22- of thiscasing" by meansof'a resilient rubber gasket-23. An index element 24 is interposedbetween the gasket 23 andthe closure 21, this index'ele ment being in the; form of a disc having suitable markings, thereon, such as a pear in-Fig. 6, whereby-the adJustmente ected by the handle is indicated. The hub portion; 15 of the handle thus passes-throughthe .second casing into operative connection with the switching mechanismin the firstcasing, the closure21 and-the index element 2e being provided with openings through; WhlCh the handle hub passes. A grooved collar 25 'desirably surrounds the bearing sleeve 19 and receives the portions of the elements 21 and 24 that margin the holes in these two elements.

Referring now more. particularl to the structure shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inc usive, a spring steel rod-26,013 arcuate-formation, 1s held, at intermediate ortion, by ears 27 which are struck from t e inner end wall 20 of t-hefront casing. These ears hold the intermediate portion ofthe rod against the rear face of the casing wall'20 and also,

when-the casing is not assembled with the panelboard, constrains the remaining portions of the rod to lie against said casing end wall 20 with the exception of the angular end portions 28 of therod which consti= tute bayonet pins. These pins project latorally from the casing and pass through the ears 29 that are struck from the front cas ing, there being "openings in these ears in which'thebayonet pins may play. The ears 29 serve toprevent the rod 26 from creeping through vthe'ears 27.. The bayonet pins 28 are received within bayonet channels or pin receiving recesses 30 which are formed within .a'collar or attaching member 31 which is integrally formed with and projects anjects rearwardly therefrom and surrounds the casings to be in the same zone therewith.

" gularly from a panel mounting 32 and pro- The pins 28 are substantially parallel with V the panel; In the form of the invention under description, the front casing is of greater diameter than the rear casing and the part 22 thereof has a surrounding bead formation 38 which is adapted for thrusting engagement with the portion of the panel 32that margins the opening in this panel through which the casings are passed from the front toward the rearof the panel. The inner ends of the bayonet slots are sloped so as to have cam action upon the ba onet ins as these pins are passed throu h the ayonet channels into engagement wlth the pin seats formed in the channels. The cam portionsof the bayonet channels serve to pull the ends of the sprin rod 26 away from their normal plane where y the rod is placed under a spring tension which will cause the bayonet pins to be spring pressed perpene dicularly to the panel and against their seats thereby to press the casings perpendicularly to the panel and thereby effect thrusting en'- gagement of the casing bead 33 with the inthe structure of Figs. 6. to 10 inclusive which will now be further described; -The spring rod 26, in the structure of Figs. 6

to. 10, is anchored by means of the ears 27 l which are struck from the front end wall 2 of therear casing.- These ears have the same relationship to and'eifect upon the rod .26 'as do the ears27 of the other structure .with the exception that they cause the outer ends of the rods, excepting the pins thereon,

to lie against the frontend wall 2 of the rear casing whenthe' casings are not mounted. The-bayonet pins 28 pass through the ears 29 thatarestruckfrom the rear cas- I ing, there being openings in these ears in which the bayonet pins may play. The ears 29 serve to prevent the rod 26'- from creeping through the cars 27 The bayonet pins 7 28 are received within'bayonet channels or pin receiving recesses 30--which are formed Within the attaching member 'or collar 31 which is integrallyrformed with a panel.

mounting 32 and projects rearwardly therefrom and surrounds the casing. The bayonet channels 30' have their receiving ends at the rear side of the collar so that the casings are placedin assemblywiththe panel 32 by being moved from the rear side of the panel toward 'the front side of the anel. The bayonet-chanrielsBO' are also'o cam formation near the seats for the bayonet pins so'thatthe ends of the rod 26' are lifted to cause the rod to eXert spring pressure upon the pins when these pins are received in their seats whereby the front end Wall 2 of the rear casing is pressed against lugs 34 which are inwardlyrstruck from the collar 31'.

Changes may be made Without departing from the invention. I

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

In an assembling device, the combination with an arcuate spring rod terminating in assembling pins; of an element to be assembled and with which an intermediate portion of the rod is assembled to constrain the rod into one position; and an element having bayonet channels having pin receiving seats in actuating engagement with the pins and thereby having actuating relationv with the end portions of the rods carrying the pins whereby the rod exerts spring pressure upon the pins and'the pin seats.

In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name.

HARRY A. DOUGLAS. 

